Description

One of the issues in contemporary Islamic thought which has attracted considerable attention amongst Muslim scholars and within the Muslim community is the valid and appropriate attitude of Muslims to relationships with non-Muslims. A major source of confusion and controversy with regards to this relationship comes from the allegation that Muslims must reserve their love and loyalty for fellow Muslims, and reject and declare war on the rest of humanity — most acutely seen through the Islamic concept of Al-Wala' wal Bara' (WB) translated as “Loyalty and Disavowal”, which appears to be central in the ideology of modern Salafism.

This book investigates the dynamics and complexities of the concept of WB within modern Salafism and aims to understand the diverse interpretation of this concept; and how modern Salafis understand and apply the concept in contemporary religious, social and political settings. The book discovers that the complexities, diversities and disputes surrounding the concept in modern Salafism often revolve around issues of social, political and current realities.

The significance of this book lies in the fact that comprehending modern Salafis' conception of WB, its realities and complexities has become an urgent priority in the lives of Muslims today.

Contents:IntroductionModern Salafism and the Islamic Concept of Al-Wala' wal Bara'Significance of Surah Al-Mumtahanah and Millat Ibrahim in Salafis' Conception of Al-Wala' wal Bara'Al-Wala' wal Bara' in the Salafi-Wahhabi IdeologyAnalyzing the Spectrum of Al-Wala' wal Bara' in Modern SalafismAnalyzing the Writings of Purists, Politicos and Jihadi Salafis on Al-Wala' wal Bara'ConclusionReadership: Researchers and experts in Islamist ideology, counter-religious extremism and rehabilitation of Muslim extremists.Keywords:Islamist Ideology;Counter-Religious Extremism;Muslim Extremists;Al-Wala' wal Bara';Salafi Doctrine;Salafism;Terrorism

Similar

With the rise of religiously motivated violence and terrorism, governments around the world need to develop their religious and ideological capabilities in parallel with strengthening their law enforcement, military and intelligence capabilities. Terrorist Rehabilitation: A New Frontier in Counter-terrorism aims to provide an understanding of the importance of the approach and strategy of terrorist rehabilitation in countering this threat.

Comprising of nine chapters, this book provides case study assessments of terrorist rehabilitation practices set against the backdrop of their unique operational and geopolitical milieu in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. This will help the reader to form a foundational understanding of the concept of terrorist rehabilitation by combining the insights, successes and experience of senior government officials and counter-terrorism experts. In addition, the contributors provide discussions on religious concepts that have been manipulated by violent Islamists as a background to understanding religiously or ideologically motivated terrorism and the avenues open for countering it.

Contents:Terrorist Rehabilitation: Genesis, Genealogy and Likely Future (Rohan Gunaratna)Saudi Efforts in Counter-Radicalisation and Extremist Rehabilitation (Dr Abdulrahman al-Hadlaq)Terrorist Rehabilitation: The Singapore Experience (Rohan Gunaratna and Mohamed Feisal Bin Mohamed Hassan)Current State of Indonesia's Deradicalisation and Rehabilitation Programme (Irfan Idris and Muh Taufiqurrohman)Sri Lanka's Rehabilitation Programme: The Humanitarian Mission Two (Malkanthi Hettiarachchi)Delegitimising the Al-Qaeda of Obligatory Jihad: Interpreting the Islamic Concept of Jihad Based on the Fatwa on Terrorism (Dr Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri)Al-Wala' wal Bara' (Loyalty and Disavowal) in Modern Salafism: Analysing the Positions of Purist, Politico and Jihadi Salafis (Dr Mohamed Ali)Weighing the Arguments of Takfir and "Islam Under Attack" (Dr Muchlis M Hanafi)The Outcome of a Long Process: Tracking Terrorist Rehabilitation and the Beginning of a Longer One — Implementing Best Practices in Regional Contexts (Dr Douglas M Stone)Readership: Security practitioners interested in new approaches to countering the threat of violent extremism and terrorism from a perspective of terrorist rehabilitation, including counter-terrorism officials, senior police officers and managers involved in counter-terrorism, and non-government organisations and policy-makers with a specific interest in counter-terrorism; graduate students and researchers in the field of security studies and counter-terrorism.Key Features:Discusses successful terrorist rehabilitation in various countries set against the backdrop of their distinct operational and geopolitical milieuProvides discussions of some of the religious concepts that have been manipulated and used by violent IslamistsHelps the reader to form a foundational understanding of the concept of terrorist rehabilitation by combining the insights and experience of senior government officials and counter-terrorism experts on how terrorist rehabilitation strategies have been successfully implemented across the worldKeywords:Terrorist Rehabilitation;Deradicalisation;Counter-Ideology;Community Engagement;Counter-terrorism

In July 2010, Terry Jones, the pastor of a small fundamentalist church in Florida, announced plans to burn two hundred Qur'ans on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Though he ended up canceling the stunt in the face of widespread public backlash, his threat sparked violent protests across the Muslim world that left at least twenty people dead. In Terrified, Christopher Bail demonstrates how the beliefs of fanatics like Jones are inspired by a rapidly expanding network of anti-Muslim organizations that exert profound influence on American understanding of Islam.

Bail traces how the anti-Muslim narrative of the political fringe has captivated large segments of the American media, government, and general public, validating the views of extremists who argue that the United States is at war with Islam and marginalizing mainstream Muslim-Americans who are uniquely positioned to discredit such claims. Drawing on cultural sociology, social network theory, and social psychology, he shows how anti-Muslim organizations gained visibility in the public sphere, commandeered a sense of legitimacy, and redefined the contours of contemporary debate, shifting it ever outward toward the fringe. Bail illustrates his pioneering theoretical argument through a big-data analysis of more than one hundred organizations struggling to shape public discourse about Islam, tracing their impact on hundreds of thousands of newspaper articles, television transcripts, legislative debates, and social media messages produced since the September 11 attacks. The book also features in-depth interviews with the leaders of these organizations, providing a rare look at how anti-Muslim organizations entered the American mainstream.

In late 2002, over 1500 audiotapes were discovered in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in a house once occupied by Osama bin Laden. The Audacious Ascetic is the first book to explore this extraordinary archive. It details how Islamic cultural, legal, theological and linguistic vocabularies shaped militants' understandings of al-Qa'ida, and, more controversially, challenges the notion that the group's original adversary was America and the 'far enemy'. Miller argues that Western security agencies' 'management' of Bin Laden's growing reputation went awry. When magnified through global media coverage, narratives of al-Qa'ida's coherence were exploited by Osama and his militant supporters for their own ends. Focusing on over a dozen previously unpublished speeches by Bin Laden as well as on discussions by top al-Qa'ida leaders and Arab- Afghans, Miller chronicles the Saudi radical's evolving relationship with a host of Muslim insurgencies that found his stripe of asceticism (zuhd) tactically useful, especially when circulated via audiotape. These recordings also reveal militants' disenchantment when Bin Laden, marginalized through the '90s, began pandering to Western television networks in his attempt to direct heterodox Islamist armed struggles against America. Such audio evidence exposes al-Qa'ida's lack of coordination before 9-11 and invites scrutiny of dominant narratives of Western law enforcement, intelligence and terrorism analysts.

Since September 11, Al Qaeda has been portrayed as an Islamist front united in armed struggle, or jihad, against the Christian West. However, as the historian and commentator Fawaz A. Gerges argues, the reality is rather different. In fact, Al Qaeda represents a minority within the jihadist movement, and its strategies have been criticized and opposed by religious nationalists among the jihadis, who prefer to concentrate on changing the Muslim world rather than taking the fight global. Based on primary field research, the author unravels the story of the jihadist movement and explores its philosophies, its structure, the rifts and tensions that split its ranks, and why some members, like Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, favored international over local strategies in taking the war to the West. Gerges asks where the jihadist movement is going, and whether it can be transformed into a non-violent, socio-political force.

Christianity or Islam: which is the real "religion of peace"?Almost any liberal pundit will tell you that there's a religion bent on destroying our Constitution, stripping us of our liberties, and imposing religious rule on the U.S. And that religion is . . .Christianity! About Islam, however, the Left is silent--except to claim a moral equivalence between the two: if Islam has terrorists today, that's nothing compared to the Crusades, inquisitions, and religious wars in Christianity's past.

But is this true? Are conservative Christians really more of a threat to free societies than Islamic jihadists? Is the Bible really "just as violent" as the Qur'an? Is Christianity's history really as bloodstained as Islam's? In Religion of Peace? Why Christianity Is and Islam Isn't, New York Times bestselling author Robert Spencer not only refutes such charges, but also explains why Americans and Europeans must regain an appreciation of our Christian heritage if we ever hope to defeat Islamic supremacism. In this eye opening work, Spencer reveals:

* The fundamental differences between Islamic and Christian teachings about warfare against other religions: "Love your enemies" vs. "Be ruthless to the unbelievers"

* The myth of Western immorality and Islamic puritanism and why the Islamic world is less moral than the West

* Why the Islamic world has never developed the distinction between religious and secular law that is inherent in Christianity

* Why the most determined enemies of Western civilization may not be the jihadists at all, but the leftists who fear their churchgoing neighbors more than Islamic terrorists

* Why Jews, Christians, and peoples of other faiths (or no faith) are equally at risk from militant Islam

Spencer writes not to proselytize, but to state a fact: Christianity is a true "religion of peace," and on it Western civilization stands. If we are not to perish under Islam's religion of the sword--with its more than 100 million active jihadists seeking to impose sharia law--we had better defend our own civilization.

Does America face a jihadist threat that's even bigger than terrorism?While our homeland security efforts are focused on preventing terrorist attacks, another jihadist threat is growing right here in America--in plain sight.

In Stealth Jihad, Islam expert and New York Times bestselling author Robert Spencer blows the whistle on a long-term plot by Islamic jihadists to undermine the United States. This effort aims not to bring America to its knees through attacks with guns or bombs, but to subvert the country from within--by gradually Islamizing America. The ultimate goal, the stealth jihadists themselves declare, is nothing less than the adoption of Islamic law in the United States.Describing the disturbing ease with which stealth jihadists have already become ensconced in the American political and media landscapes, Spencer exposes the full modus operandi of the movement as revealed in a stunning document unveiled in a recent terrorism funding trial. In this unsettling book, he explains:

* Which Islamic fundamentalist organization is behind the stealth jihad* How stealth jihadists have reinvented themselves as mainstream civil rights activists--despite their many past declarations of Islamic supremacism* How stealth jihadists played a key role in formulating U.S. government guidelines for the War on Terror* How insistence on "accommodating" Islamic cultural and religious practices in America is part of a calculated strategy to achieve a dangerous larger agenda* The effort by stealth jihadists to whitewash the teaching of Islam in schools* What can be done to defeat the stealth jihad and preserve America's liberty

America, Spencer demonstrates, is all but oblivious to a new kind of threat presented by a loosely organized movement whose activists are well funded, highly motivated, and relentless in pursuit of their agenda. This book is a wake-up call for a country so focused on foreign threats that it has left itself vulnerable to a growing danger much closer to home.

Fawaz Gerges' book on al Qaeda and the jihadist movement has become a classic in the field since it was published in 2005. In the intervening years, with the advance of the 'War on Terror' and the invasion of Iraq, much has changed and, just as Gerges showed, al Qaeda's fortunes have taken a significant downturn. Revisiting The Far Enemy in this edition, Gerges demonstrates that not only have the jihadists split ranks, but that voices from within the ultra-religious right, those that previously supported al Qaeda, are condemning its tactics as violent, unethical, and out of accord with the true meaning of jihad. In fact, millions of Muslims worldwide have rejected al-Qaeda's ideology and strategies and blame Osama bin Laden and his cohorts for the havoc the organisation has wreaked on their communities. Al-Qaeda is now in the wilderness suffering massive erosion of authority and legitimacy in Muslim eyes and facing a fierce revolt from within. As Gerges warns, the next US administration would do well to use political and socio-economic strategies rather than military means to ensure that it stays there.

ISIS rocketed onto the world stage seemingly out of nowhere, beheading American hostages, bulldozing international borders, routing the American-trained Iraqi Army, and carving out a new state that rules eight million people. Now, after the shocking San Bernardino and Paris attacks, it has become devastatingly clear that no one is safe from the threat of ISIS. The group has managed to radicalize and recruit Muslims all over the world and is staging an all-out "holy war" against the West, while U.S. leaders remain stumped.

In The Complete Infidel's Guide to ISIS, New York Times bestselling author Robert Spencer reveals the terrifying inner workings of the Islamic State—its successful recruitment program, how it is financing its expansion, and the ideology that is driving its success. As Spencer explains, the Islamic State has taken the first steps on the path to becoming a serious world power—steps that Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda dreamed of but were afraid to take. The Complete Infidel's Guide to ISIS is your one-stop easy reference for all you need to know about ISIS—including how "infidels" can stop its reign of terror.

The term ‘jihad’ has come to be used as a byword for fanaticism and Islam’s allegedly implacable hostility towards the West. But, like other religious and political concepts, jihad has multiple resonances and associations, its meaning shifting over time and from place to place. Jihad has referred to movements of internal reform, spiritual struggle and self-defence as much as to ‘holy war’. And among Muslim intellectuals, the meaning and significance of jihad remain subject to debate and controversy. With this in mind, Twenty-First Century Jihad examines the ways in which the concept of jihad has changed, from its roots in the Qur’an to its usage in current debate. This book explores familiar modern political angles, and touches on far less commonly analysed instances of jihad, incorporating issues of law, society, literature and military action. As this key concept is ever-more important for international politics and security studies, Twenty-First Century Jihad contains vital analysis for those researching the role of religion in the modern world.

The attacks in Paris in January and November 2015 heralded the beginning of a new wave of terrorism - one rooted in the ongoing conflict in Syria and Iraq. As ISIS seeks to expand its reach in the Middle East, its territory serves as a base for training and operations for a new generation of jihadis. Thousands of young people from the West, primarily from Europe, have travelled to join ISIS, re-emerging as hardened fighters with military training and a network of international contacts. Many of these have now returned to their homelands, where it is feared they are planning a new series of brutal attacks. Peter R. Neumann here explains the phenomenon of the ‘new jihadis’, and shows why the threat of terrorism in the West is greater than ever before. Based on interviews and previously-unseen material, Neumann provides an essential introduction to one of the greatest crises of our time

With the rise of religiously motivated violence and terrorism, governments around the world need to develop their religious and ideological capabilities in parallel with strengthening their law enforcement, military and intelligence capabilities. Terrorist Rehabilitation: A New Frontier in Counter-terrorism aims to provide an understanding of the importance of the approach and strategy of terrorist rehabilitation in countering this threat.

Comprising of nine chapters, this book provides case study assessments of terrorist rehabilitation practices set against the backdrop of their unique operational and geopolitical milieu in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. This will help the reader to form a foundational understanding of the concept of terrorist rehabilitation by combining the insights, successes and experience of senior government officials and counter-terrorism experts. In addition, the contributors provide discussions on religious concepts that have been manipulated by violent Islamists as a background to understanding religiously or ideologically motivated terrorism and the avenues open for countering it.

Contents:Terrorist Rehabilitation: Genesis, Genealogy and Likely Future (Rohan Gunaratna)Saudi Efforts in Counter-Radicalisation and Extremist Rehabilitation (Dr Abdulrahman al-Hadlaq)Terrorist Rehabilitation: The Singapore Experience (Rohan Gunaratna and Mohamed Feisal Bin Mohamed Hassan)Current State of Indonesia's Deradicalisation and Rehabilitation Programme (Irfan Idris and Muh Taufiqurrohman)Sri Lanka's Rehabilitation Programme: The Humanitarian Mission Two (Malkanthi Hettiarachchi)Delegitimising the Al-Qaeda of Obligatory Jihad: Interpreting the Islamic Concept of Jihad Based on the Fatwa on Terrorism (Dr Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri)Al-Wala' wal Bara' (Loyalty and Disavowal) in Modern Salafism: Analysing the Positions of Purist, Politico and Jihadi Salafis (Dr Mohamed Ali)Weighing the Arguments of Takfir and "Islam Under Attack" (Dr Muchlis M Hanafi)The Outcome of a Long Process: Tracking Terrorist Rehabilitation and the Beginning of a Longer One — Implementing Best Practices in Regional Contexts (Dr Douglas M Stone)Readership: Security practitioners interested in new approaches to countering the threat of violent extremism and terrorism from a perspective of terrorist rehabilitation, including counter-terrorism officials, senior police officers and managers involved in counter-terrorism, and non-government organisations and policy-makers with a specific interest in counter-terrorism; graduate students and researchers in the field of security studies and counter-terrorism.Key Features:Discusses successful terrorist rehabilitation in various countries set against the backdrop of their distinct operational and geopolitical milieuProvides discussions of some of the religious concepts that have been manipulated and used by violent IslamistsHelps the reader to form a foundational understanding of the concept of terrorist rehabilitation by combining the insights and experience of senior government officials and counter-terrorism experts on how terrorist rehabilitation strategies have been successfully implemented across the worldKeywords:Terrorist Rehabilitation;Deradicalisation;Counter-Ideology;Community Engagement;Counter-terrorism

You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.

eReaders and other devices

To read on e-ink devices like the Sony eReader or Barnes & Noble Nook, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Please follow the detailed Help center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.